Tuesday, August 31, 2010

What I always love about the major media is that they glom onto a storyline and stick with it, no matter what the facts actually are.

Take for instance the fourth installment of the Shrek franchise. Over and over, it's been labeled a weak sister to its brawny franchise siblings, a "disappointment" at the box office, an obvious reason why there will be no more Shreks, etc., etc.

Reminds me of how Ratatouille was portrayed when it "only" made $206 million domestically - even though it made over $400 million overseas (a definite smash). It was because prior to that, Pixar movies made at [i]least[/i] around $240 million.

All the Shreks prior to the fourth made over $300 million (adjusted - for the first one). It really was surprising to see Shrek the Fourth make less than Cars domestically, especially with the advent of 3D and IMAX and $15 tickets.

I would guess that if you had to ask investors which franchise they thought would break through the billion dollar barrier first, they would have picked Shrek over Toy Story or Ice Age.

Actually, I'd bet on the Toy Story franchise. Mainly because although the films have done very well, the ancilliary product has sold billions. Don't see too many shrek toys out there. Actually, and honestly--I don't think I've ever seen even one. I liked Shrek 2, but hated the other 3.

Of course, if you correct for inflation and inflated 3D ticket prices, Shrek 2 is still far ahead of any of the Toy Story or Ice Age movies. Just sayin'.

That's exactly why I said investors would have probably picked the Shrek franchise to break the billion dollar mark (unadjusted) first. It's still the most popular animated franchise of all time, and Dreamworks has been making a lot of headway in the international market (don't be shocked if Kung Fu Panda 2 breaks Toy Story 3's record next year just on the strength of its overseas numbers, and it should fare much better than Shrek 4 did domestically as well).

Also, Toy Story 2 was released over a decade ago. Yes it was popular then, but I don't think it's as popular with the kids now than Shrek is.

That domestic number for Shrek 4 was really surprising. Even Despicable Me outgrossed it.

You're kidding, right? Kids are FAR m ore into Toy Story than the Shrek movies! The Shrek movies are disposable, but the Toy Story films have entered the collective conciousness in ways dw has yet to be able to do.

Nope. The Toy Story films beat the shrek stuff hands down on every level.

I am a part-time coach for 2nd graders. Maybe it's just my neck of the woods, but the kids were looking forward way more to Shrek 4 than Toy Story 3 this summer. What I underestimated was the power of nostalgia I guess, since the kids who were raised on Toy Story 1 & 2 were the ones taking their families to Toy Story 3 this summer...

The Toy Story films beat the shrek stuff hands down on every level.

You mean except in box office right? Because Shrek 2 has still sold the most tickets than any Pixar movie. Hell, even Shrek 3 sold more tickets than Toy Story 3 (remember - they didn't have the 3D inflated prices back then). If Toy Story 3 sold as many tickets as Shrek 3, it would have been the #1 grossing animated film of all time in the U.S.

I'm not trying to start another Pixar-Dreamworks flame war here. I like both and all animation. My main point is that Steve, while I appreciate his intentions in trying to beat the spin that the media is pushing about Shrek 4, is missing what the commotion is about... And that is that Shrek 4 was not supposed to do this feebly at the box office in the U.S. This is a megafranchise that just a few years ago made $320+ million stateside without the help of 3D ticket prices. Now, the fourth installment is merely the 3rd highest grossing animated film this summer; and it almost got beat by Dreamworks' March offering.

It did decently for sure; but you won't convince me Katzenberg is not a little bummed that that's all it made.

And I remember having this exact same conversation with the Pixar fans in 2006 with Ratatouille.

The thoughts and observations of the leaders of The Animation Guild (TAG), Local 839 IATSE. Jason MacLeod is the Business Representative, KC Johnson is the President. Mike Sauer is Assistant to the Business Representative.

This weblog reflects their individual personal opinions and does not necessarily represent the official position of the Animation Guild.

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